Letter of Recommendation Guidelines

The letters kept on file in the Advising Center are intended only for colleges of dentistry, medicine (MD & DO), optometry, podiatry, veterinary medicine, or Post-Bac Enrichment programs. Applicants who want their letters to be sent to other graduate schools, professional programs or scholarship programs will need to get the permission of their recommenders.

All letters of recommendation should be accompanied by the form above. Please remind your recommenders that health professions schools will not accept handwritten letters. The letter should be typed and signed. (We can not accept digital signatures at this time.) Letterhead is also preferred but they can use the space provided on the form. The letters can be sent by email (scanned signed document), mail or by fax.

Who should I get my letters from?

You should have at least two letters from science professors who have taught you.

If you have done research it is a very good idea to obtain a letter from your research supervisor. (Keep in mind that if you are interested in an MD/PhD program, you should get two or more research letters.)

If you are applying to Osteopathic schools, some schools require a letter from a DO.

If you are interested in going into veterinary medicine, you need to get letters from all the animal-related venues where you have worked or volunteered (veterinary clinics, animal shelters, wildlife rehabilitation, etc.).

The following are other possible people you may ask for letters of recommendation:

Can I ask for letters of recommendation now even though I am not ready to apply?Yes! You can get letters as early as possible. If you can get a good letter of recommendation in your freshmen and/or sophomore year and you don't think your recommender will remember you as well when you are ready to apply, you can ask them now. We will keep letters of file for five years from the last activity date on your file.

Do you have to get letters from professors in all of these categories?No! Might you? Yes. The Faculty Committee has set a minimum of three letters of recommendation. There is no maximum. The bottom line is this: if you believe that you can get a good letter of recommendation, ask for it.

If I transferred into Stony Brook from another school, should I get letters from my first school?Yes, you should if you can.

Can I get letters of recommendation from teaching assistants?Yes, if you believe that the TA knows you well and you can get a quality letter from him or her.